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Wednesday, June 27, 2012

50,000 Votes But No Cigar

So the Brilliance In Blogging awards came and went last Friday and though yours truly was a finalist in the Lit category, I nevertheless went home a runner-up. In fact I didn’t even have to go home on account of never having left being too niggardly and anti-social to even attend the event despite the lovely Katy Hill being the compare and Ruby Wax also being in attendance. And of course, Ruby is undoubtedly lovely too.

I didn’t win.

Not a bean. Not a sausage. Close but no cigar.

I now know what it feels like to be the “also-ran” at an Oscar ceremony or The BAFTAs. The chin-up. The fake smile. The autopilot applause for the lucky individuals who did win.

Actually, I truly didn’t expect to win. And I mean that. I’m not just saying it to make out that I don’t care or to belittle the event (though of course I’ve maintained all along that I don’t do this for the accolades or the money or the loose women, sorry, the loose change; I do it for the art and the love and for you guys). This is no embittered lie to cover up a crushed soul fermenting itself into poison under the grinding weight of being passed over yet again at yet another award ceremony. I honestly didn’t expect to win.

My blog is too eclectic. Too unfocused. Too nonspecific and too wide ranging in its scope to pigeonhole neatly into any category. And yes I am trying to make a virtue out of a vice.

Of course, some might argue that this blog just wasn’t good enough and that is simply the hard, cold end of it.

And indeed that could be the case but for the fact that, to become a finalist, this blog had to receive over 50,000 votes.

50,000.

That’s a phenomenal number for a snipey little blog that doesn’t particularly sell anything or offer a worthwhile service.

I was gobsmacked when I discovered that 50,000 was the numerical threshold.

Who are these people? Do they read every day? Why don’t they comment? If I sold 50,000 copies of my novel, The Great Escapes of Danny Houdini (plug plug), I’d be laughing.

So,the organisers must be bullied into setting up a new category which caters for the best type of blog....the one that wanders about, the one that has something on its mind and wants others to hear, the one that isn't solely focused on winning something, selling something...the one that can damn well write!

How do we bully?Whom do we bully?

Oh, for 'bully' please substitute the more PC version 'persuade' for your more sensitive followers.

Oh Steve sorry you didn't win. I've often been the runner-up in these things never quite making the win. The only encouragement I can offer is.. 50,000 think you're good enough. That's quite a few. Keep going surely it's just a matter of time until you break through into the winner's circle. Vix x

About Last Weekend and Very Bored in Catalunya: I now have it on good authority that actually that figure might be misleading in that it could be 50,000 votes cast in total for all the finalists... the email fudges it a little.

A few posts back you wrote about the difficulty of commenting on some blogs. This morning I wrote a grateful comment on a Wordpress blog I came across with just the info I wanted. And b****r it Wordpress didn't like the look of my Blogger identity because I have actually signed up with them, but been shut out and forgotten my password. So did I go through the process of signing up again? Not likely. I just don't have time to keep filling in fields, when I just want to make a quick comment. So what I'm really trying to say is that more people would probably comment if they didn't get messed around. Bah Humbug, but... 50,000 You are doing something well. Right? ;-)

Lady Mondegreen's Secret Garden: I use neither WordPress or Disqus for those very reasons but I also know that some Bloggers find commenting using Blogger's own service difficult. You'd think Blogger would try and get it fixed, wouldn't you?

I rather like Libby's idea. And 'ere.... who're you calling insensitive?! I've got a reputation to uphold! ;-)

I love your mixed bag of a blog. You do it uniquely and you do it well. Consistently. You have just about the most (truly) engaged and honestly attentive, loyal audiences I've seen in any blog on any continent - I've read quite a few in my day... but I haven't stuck around diligently reading ANY of them for as long as I have yours. Why? Because you engage. Properly. Love your work. We all do. Even Rol and that Gorilla that goes bananas (no matter how cruelly they may deny it) x

I think with awards it's fitting with the audience. The BritMums award is voted on by other parent bloggers and their friends. You reached the final in the writing category and that's pretty amazing when you aren't particularly part of that group. The decision as to who won each category was made by one judge so at that stage it is a personal choice.You are talented and you are popular. You should feel very proud of that.

No I didn't mean that Steve. Gee guess that came across all wrong. What I mean is what Trish says. You did really well considering the votes were amassed amongst a fairly tight knit group and their friends. I'm not really part of that group either, (I'm not sure I can be categorised) so like you I was pleased to be voted into the semi finals. You should be thrilled you made it into the finals! And there's no doubt about the talent, mate. You have it in spades. Sometimes talent doesn't win votes or sell ebooks as Fifty Shades of Oh Bugger! has proven most recently. I'd love to be able to set up an agency that helps to market real talent, like yours, so that it gets out there and gets read! Vix x

Vix: thanks Vix. I'm actually perfectly happy about the whole thing. It's kind of less pressured to be the bridesmaid and never the bride. Plus I feel quite ambivalent about awards if I'm honest. They do strange things to my head which sometimes has a detrimental effect on my writing. Awards can be poison to a forever thirsty ego.